Furnace facts: What to know before the cold sets in

It's a good idea to have your gas furnace inspected yearly to avoid an unexpected breakdown.

Although it hasn't been especially cold so far this fall, it's still a good idea to fire up your gas furnace and leave it running long enough to make sure it's working properly.

"People think it's a game to see how long they can hold out before turning their furnace on," says Sal Sidoti of Sal's Heating & Cooling Inc. (salsheatingandcooling.net) in North Royalton. "But if you wait until the furnace is really needed, and it turns out it isn't functioning, then it becomes an expensive emergency."

Even if a test run proves the furnace is humming along nicely and pumping out heat, it's still smart to have the machinery inspected by a professional, say Sidoti and other HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) specialists. And you should do so yearly.

"There are little things you can check yourself, such as the batteries in the thermostat and the filter, to be sure it's clean," Sidoti says. "You can also check the service switch on the side to make sure it's turned on. Kids like to play with that switch. I've received a lot of calls when that turned out to be the problem."

With regular tuneups, HVAC equipment can last 15 to 20 years, says Paul Wadsworth of P.K. Wadsworth Heating and Cooling, (pkwadsworth.com) in Solon. But preventive maintenance makes all the difference in longevity.

If an inspection or a breakdown proves that you're pouring money into a furnace that's on its last leg, then comes the next painful step: purchasing a new one.

Where do you begin?

"The first step is finding a reputable contractor," says Dave Moody, director of field marketing for Services Experts Heating and Air Conditioning (serviceexperts.com), which is based in Texas. Locally, there is a Service Experts in Bedford Heights.

As with hiring any contractor, Angie's List and the Better Business Bureau are good resources for reputable, licensed HVAC specialists who are up on the latest technology in terms of energy efficiency.

More than 35 million homes in America are heated by natural-gas, forced-air systems. Many of these households have been sending 30 percent or more of their energy dollars up the furnace flue, and in doing so have pumped carbon dioxide, the "greenhouse gas," into the atmosphere, according to home repair expert Don Vandervort on his HomeTips.Com site. In 1992, the U.S. Department of Energy instituted standards that require every new furnace to turn at least 78 percent of its fuel into heat.

Modern furnaces perform better than that. Nowadays, Carrier, Trane, Lenox and Allied make furnaces that run as high as 98 percent efficiency, say HVAC specialists.

Million-dollarquestion: How much?

But if you have to buy a furnace by one of those makers, or even a lesser-known brand name, the million-dollar question is, "How much is this going to cost me?" That depends on the efficiency of the furnace you select.

"Furnaces can range from $2,000 for a basic unit installation, to more than $5,000 for the best high-performance furnace installation," says Moody.

At $2,000, you're not likely to get a highest-efficiency model. As with most items, the higher the quality -- which in this case is energy efficiency -- the higher the price.

Other factors can raise the price of furnace installation, such as when wider ducts are needed to accommodate a new furnace, or if the homeowner wants a humidifier or other options, says Sidoti.

Wadsworth wouldn't give a cost range because he says there are so many variables.

"It's not like getting a new refrigerator, where you unplug the old one and plug in the new one," he says.

Energy auditis a good idea

Before deciding on a new furnace, the entire house needs to be properly evaluated to determine how "loose" it is, he says. In other words, is there air leakage, and where? Have there been any structural alterations made to the home since the last furnace was purchased?

He says it's a good idea to get an energy audit. Home energy audits pinpoint energy leaks that might not show up otherwise. Find out if your utility company conducts energy audits. An audit by Dominion East Ohio gas company is $50. You can receive a free carbon monoxide detector or have your fee refunded if you make one of the audit's recommended improvements.

Or you can contact a certified professional, who will charge about $250. Home Energy MD is one Greater Cleveland company that conducts whole-home energy audits (homeenergymd.com, 1-888-940-4888). Another is GreenStreet Solutions (greenstreethome.us, 1-888-476-2010).

Annual fuel utilization efficiency, or AFUE, is used to rate the energy efficiency of furnaces. Furnaces come posted with this rating, usually in the form of a yellow "Energy Guide" label.

AFUE ratings run from the minimum -- 78 percent -- to 98.2 percent. Most makers list their furnaces as "high-efficiency," but the Department of Energy refers to units with an AFUE higher than 90 percent as "high-efficiency," and units with 80 percent to 83 percent AFUE as "midefficiency."

Highly rated furnaces qualify for tax credits, but the credits expire at the end of this year. Gas furnaces that qualify for the tax credit have AFUE ratings of 95 percent or higher. For more information, go to energystar.gov.

Follow Us

cleveland.com is powered by Plain Dealer Publishing Co. and Northeast Ohio Media Group. All rights reserved (About Us).The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Northeast Ohio Media Group LLC.